Thursday, June 21, 2012

When I first came up, dishes had cool names, but that
eventually went out of fashion, and chefs just started listing all the
ingredients on the menu instead. That’s all well and good, but the problem for
recipes like this “Rusty Chicken,” is that if I called it “Grilled Chicken
Thighs marinated with Garlic, Soy, Maple Syrup, Chilies and Rice Vinegar,”
you’d be thinking about all those parts and not the sum (of the yum?).

Since no one flavor dominates this beautifully balanced,
all-purpose grilled chicken marinade, I’d prefer it just be called “rusty
chicken” – celebrating the color of the marinade and meat, instead
of the individual ingredients. I guess what I’m getting at is this doesn’t
necessarily taste like the ingredients sound.

Besides, I think recipes with unique names take on their own
personality, and it only takes a few tall tales to build a mythology around it.
One reason Buffalo chicken wings taste so good is because they’re called
“Buffalo wings,” and not “hot sauce & margarine-glazed wings.” Anyway, call
this what you want, just make sure you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 or 2 cloves garlic sliced

2 tsp to 2 tbsp hot chili sauce or paste, or to taste

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

*Of course you should taste and adjust this marinade before
pouring over the chicken!

These would be so great with a sandwich made from roasted red potatoes,bacon, two fried eggs, backed beans in a separate dish, some black pudding and a pint of scrumpy cidre. And some good music playing in the background.

If you want fansy names you should go to where I am from (Kwait) they have names like The mayor sandwich and "heart broken" smoothie when it's just cheesteak sandwich and mango smoothy!Those rusty chicken thighs look delicious, love the marinade recipe!

If theres one thing i've taken from your videos over the years its the 'rice vinegar, soy sauce, sambal, and brown sugar/honey/maple syrup' flavor combo you use in every other savory dish of yours. Its just great balance of flavors, and always works.I was wondering, is there a story behind your love for that flavor profile? For example, did your culinary mentor or whatever also always use it?

You always inspire me. I have been reading your blog a several years now. You were mentioned and there is a video of you on Snack Girl. http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/how-chop-vegetables/?e=4WcqKAFH Knife skills are so important.

Hey Chef John, I've been following your video blogs since last September when I got married. Thanks for walking me through recipes. The recipes that I have made myself are delicious and my husband has loved them too! I made your rusty chicken last night with chicken breast and they were so tasty! You're an awesome chef and entertainer. Thanks and all the best to you and your wife!-Amanda M., Toronto

I agree with you, Chef. I mean, I enjoy breasts as much as the next guy. But there is definitely something about thighs that really makes them special. If I can't have the thighs, I'll settle for the breasts, but it's nowhere near the same!

Used combo of red pepper flakes, chipotle Tabasco sauce, and straight up chipotle powder instead of sambal. Also added some excellent garam masala powder to boost the other flavors. Five freshly crushed cloves of garlic too.

Modified grill technique: place part of an oak log on the grill under the coals before lighting, and after searing the skin side (I used skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs), close lid and let hot smoke until done.

Literally sat at the table and ate every edible scrap off the bones. Thanks for the new standard quick chicken recipe! :D

Well, I made this the other night -I am def not a charcoal grill expert but despite my inexperience, this was off the chain! Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge and skill with those of us who grew up relatively clueless!

My Husband asks for this on a weekly basis and when I make it you would think he was a kid in a candy store he gets so excited. Great recipe! I have used a whole chicken and jsut the thighs. i am not a fan of thighs, but with this recipe the thighs really are better. thanks!

Made this yesterday and it was real hit with the missus and her friend. Actually the grilling session ended up becoming a throwdown between some thighs that my wife had marinated overnight in her signature tandoori marinade and your rusty chicken. The verdict? Rusty chicken by a mile. It wasn't even close. And yes, she did have that skeptical look when I added the maple syrup into the sambal. I decided then to just quote you, "trust me, this totally works" followed by "hang with me". I did however succumb to a strange and unusual desire to sprinkle some garam masala along with salt. It gave it a slight edge that I do like.

The end result was that all the rusty chicken was gone while the tandoori thighs will see the inside of a sandwich later this week. She was gracious in defeat I have to say.

I made this tonight for my wife and kids (ages 6, 6, and 5). My kids are pretty picky and my wife generally prefers chicken breast to thighs, but this was a huge hit with the entire fam! I went light on the chile paste (I used a Thai version) and I used red wine vinegar because it's what I had on hand. It smelled so amazingly good on the grill, and came out tasting a bit like bourbon chicken. The kids even had seconds! We will definitely use this recipe again. Thanks Chef John!

Chef, I just made this and it was AMAZEBALLS. Seriously, the best and easiest chicken marinade hands down. Why didn't I try this sooner? I added alot of Sambal, we like it spicy in our house. Thanks, Chef John. You are the BEST.

This is amaze-balls. I've found the ONE chicken recipe that I'm gonna stick to. I did this in an oven though because I don't have a grill (living in a apartment in Singapore, I don't get to use the grill very often). Baked the chicken on a bed of onions in the oven at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Turned out freaking awesome! Thank you Chef John!

How to cook w/o grillingUnfortunately, baking will give you moist thighs but without the sweet taste that makes these special. For the sugar to carmelize they need contact with greater heat than baking provides.

For indoor cooking, I've had success sauteeing the marinated chicken in a very hot lightly oiled stick-free pan for about 3 minutes a side, being careful not to burn. Then I finish them in the microwave, using a thermometer to make sure they're thoroughly cooked.

I have not experimented with broiling in the oven. Perhaps that would provide a high enough heat. Maybe someone could try that and share their results

How to make rusty thighs for a crowd:I used this recipe all summer but the problem is that people eat them in larger amounts per person than they do other chicken I make. Partly because they're sweet and partly because once trimmed many are small and easy to pick up and eat.

In order to make larger amounts, I've had success grilling earlier in the day and refrigerating them in large tinfoil packages the size of oven shelves. I then use a fork to put some holes in the packages and warm them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350. Works perfectly every time and lets me spend time with my friends instead of cooking while they're visiting.